Ahead of the Team India`s England tour for Test series, former South African cricketer AB de Villiers said that the young Indian team is capable of achieving something special if they back themselves.
“They`ve got to take some responsibilities in England, it will be a tough test, but they have all the talent in the world and if they believe, maybe they can achieve something special,” said AB de Villiers on the sidelines of an NGO Project event in Mumbai.
After the Test retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Shubman Gill as their new skipper.
“Yes, it`s time for the younger guys to step up… Shubman Gill taking on the responsibility. There`s lots of talent in India and largely credit to the IPL for that, (it is) really giving great exposure to some of the youngsters at a very early age,” said the former South African cricketer.
Further, the 41-year-old stated that Vaibhav Suryavanshi and other youngsters are ready to play cricket at the international level.
“We saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi this year (and) many other youngsters, they come in their first year and they look very mature and ready to play cricket and it`s a great platform for Indian cricket,” he said.
Speaking about his former RCB teammate, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers said that he will be missed in Test cricket, but he has left a great legacy in the red ball cricket.
“He followed his gut feel. I think he has done a lot for cricket around the world over the years. Luckily, we`ll still see him on the cricket field. He will be missed in Test matches, there is no doubt about it, but he leaves (behind) a great legacy with the red ball,” said the veteran of 114 Test matches.
In the IPL 2025, the Rajat Patidar-led RCB defeated Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 of the tournament. With the win over the Shreyas Iyer-led side, RCB has sealed the spot in the final, which is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on June 3.
(With PTI Inputs)
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